Reviving Memories for Old Times Sake

04/10/2010

Finally I am here, in front of my laptop, waiting for thoughts to take shape of words that have started occupying my mind space once again. Yesterday , I was having a casual chat with one of my friends , and during the course of our random talks, the conversation drifted to our individual lives and the course it has taken in past two years (For the past 2 years we both were staying in the same PG, till I moved out recently ). Now that I have shifted to my new room, the factor of physical presence of her is absent and I think this is one of those moments in my life, which has given me time to ponder about myself, how far have I reached and has made me wonder as to what lies ahead …Way one year back, the life was a roller coaster, with a busy job schedule and a group of friends to hang out with. While the first part of life still remains intact, the second part has undergone drastic change. Suddenly, in the span of one year, everyone has drifted apart, due to circumstances and job requirements. Though I was aware of the fact that the kind of life I was leading would not remain the same going forward and neither would the company of my friends , but the void that has been created since then remains unfilled and by nature , it will take hell lot of time for me to overcome the same and move on !!!. I hope I am able to get over with it at the earliest possible.
So, while I was talking to this friend of mine, somewhere my dreamy nature took me back to my childhood days and I felt a sudden urge to go back again to the same place and live through those memories once again....
It remains quite obvious that my parents played a major role in making my childhood memorable. However, I cannot and will not deny the role played by one more couple, who is and will remain next to my parents, in making my childhood worth living once again: Desai Uncle and Aunty.
They had known my family for some time before I was born. My parents got to know them in Maharashtra, when my father was working for Birlas and Uncle was one of his colleagues. Fortunately, both the families were neighbors and Ma and aunty shared a great rapport with each other. And when after a hiatus of almost 5 years (blame it on me being a true Indian and hence carried the mindset of five year planning:P), I arrived, both the families joys knew no bounds …..
Right from the time I remember , there was only one door and another home I knew apart from my own home and that was aunty’s place . As soon as my father was out for work, she used to take me to her place. And I, like a spoilt brat used to make undue demands from her day in and day out, knowing that she would fulfill all of them without any protest , unlike my Mother , who was and still remains a hard core disciplinarian.
My parents , to this day , quote one of the incidents stating that : I never used to eat anything at home and they were quite worried about my apetite. But one day, they saw me eating at Aunty’s place like a hog and realized that it was not my apetite that has gone for a toss , rather it was my inclination towards spicy gujarati food that made me miss the home food . And aunty had known this secret for a some time , but did not share it with Ma ,lest she and uncle would miss out on my company during lunch time!!!.
Uncle and Aunty were so fond of me that I never used to cry or feel an urge to go back to my place. I used to eat, sleep and play with them all day long. Seeing this, my father used to get worried and jealous at the same time, for he never found me at home on his arrival.
After two years of my birth, my brother came and Ma and Papa were happy for having completed their family of two kids. Uncle and Aunty once again showered so much love and affection on my brother, that he, despite being a recluse, used to run to their home as soon as the door was opened 
Unfortunately, despite being such a lovable couple and having everything, they could not enjoy the bliss of parenthood. They had no issue of their own. Once while talking to my mother, aunty told her one thing, which she remembers to this date. She said “Reeta you might feel that I am not giving as much attention and love to Nikku as I give it to Kanu. And if you think so, you are quite right!!! That’s just because, I have seen Kanu from the very beginning of our relationship and she has filled up that void in our life and, to be honest, I won’t be able to share that love with anyone else”.
And then came a time, when Uncle and Aunty shifted to their native place and gradually we lost touch with them. But somewhere their memory remained with me and I missed them .Then, one day , while I was in 6th standard and studying in Himachal , I felt an urge to get in touch with them and find about their well being . Though Mom and Dad did not have their address, I decided to give it a try on their 10 year old address. So, the next day I posted a greeting card mentioning about us and contact number and waited patiently for their reply.
It seemed as if GOD sensed the genuity of our case and fortune smiled on both the families. One week thereafter, the phone rang and Ma picked up the call. She gave a shriek of joy to hear Desai aunty’s voice after a decade!!!. For me it was as if a bumper prize was won, and that day we talked for almost 2 hours to them.
Though I haven’t seen them till now, but the families are in touch with each other. Its quite surprising, but they just recognize my voice as soon as they pick up my call (Uncle doesn’t carry mobile), no matter at what hour I may call them.
I must admit that even today, I cannot recollect much about my early childhood, but the memory of uncle and aunty remains intact and untouched by passage of time. It seems as if it was just yesterday.
Some one has rightly said that there are some relationships that remain undefined and uncategorized, but the love and affection one derives from them outweighs real blood relations. I have been an ardent believer of this fact of life and my bond with uncle and aunty stands as testimonial to this statement.